IATA Briefed By CBP Saturday

President Donald Trump's ban on U.S. travel for passport holders from seven Middle-Eastern states extends to airline cabin crews, according to the IATA.

In a statement, the association says that it "recognizes that states have the right and duty to protect their citizens by enforcing their borders. Where this has implications for air travel, we work with our member airlines to help them comply with these requirements efficiently and effectively. Global systems and procedures exist to support this activity. IATA’s Timatic online solution, for example, is a global database for travel document requirements. It is updated constantly and used by airlines and travel agents around the world.

"These systems can only support the efficient implementation of any government’s directives by the global air transport industry with advance coordination as well as with detailed and consistent operational information.

"Entry requirements for the United States were changed significantly and immediately by an Executive Order (EO) issued 27 January 2017. The EO was issued without prior coordination or warning, causing confusion among both airlines and travelers. It also placed additional burdens on airlines to comply with unclear requirements, to bear implementation costs and to face potential penalties for non-compliance.

"We ask for early clarity from the US administration on the current situation. Moreover, we urge all governments to provide sufficient advance coordination of changes in entry requirements so that travelers can clearly understand them and airlines can efficiently implement them.?"

U.S. Customs and Border Protection briefed IATA in a conference call on Saturday, according to Reuters. CBP confirmed that the ban on entry extends to cabin crews who hold passports from the targeted countries.

FMI: www.iata.org, www.cbp.gov